QUARANTINE BLOG # 693

March 30, 2022

We start today with some visuals:

👉  Here is the new Index for the QB.

👉  I’m not sure how old I was, 16-ish I’d guess, on that hot July afternoon at 117 Shenandoah Avenue when I decided I would sneak my 20 gauge shotgun out of the house and do some target practice.  And I’m not sure why I just didn’t ask permission, but I figured my plan was foolproof.  I never counted on Mom.

So here I go.  I am wearing my winter hunting coat (remember it’s July, probably in the high 80s – Garrett County, high on top of the Allegheny Mountains did not heat up like Augusta, Georgia, low on the Savannah River), and heading up over the hill.

Mom stopped me with, “Why are you wearing your hunting coat?”  I’m cold.

That didn’t phase her and she asked, “What’s wrong with your leg?”  I was walking stiff legged because I had broken the shotgun down and put the barrel down the leg of my pants, the other two parts secreted in the large pockets of the coat.

My leg? I asked.

“No, my leg!” she said.

I did not know anything was wrong with your leg, I replied.

She folded her arms across her chest and froze me with a look that brought fear into the hearts of evil-doers everywhere.  Busted!

That was a scene which never stopped producing great family mirth.  The Bro and I still laugh at it.

And all of that recounting to set up the following Lockhorns cartoon:

👉  Today two more “forbidden” places, and both of these are more famous for their rumors than what may actually be the reasons they are forbidden.

First up, Mezhgorye, Russia.  This “top secret town” was founded around 1979, and it is not completely clear who or what lives in Mezhgorye.  

The Russian government has given different explanations throughout the years: food storage, a bunker for Russian leaders, and a mining operation. Whatever it is, it is doubtful we’ll know for sure anytime in the near future.

Second, is our own forbidden area with more rumors than you can shake the proverbial stick at, or at which you can shake the proverbial stick – Area 51, Nevada, USA.  

While some places on this list aren’t too popular, Area 51 certainly is.  The forbidden land in Nevada is the source of many conspiracy theories, including suspicions of alien activity.  According to Annie Jacobsen, author of Area 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base, the forbidden property is the “birthplace of overhead espionage for the CIA.”  According to this theory, Area 51 remains closed off because it’s a hub for the Air Force and US spy organizations to develop new aircraft, weapons, and spycraft.  It has never been declared a secret base, but all research and occurrences in Area 51 are Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information.

👉  Since so much about Area 51 seems to be outright fiction, I thought a look at two clips from Independence Day, a great movie which “exposes” some of the secrets of this secret base.

First, the explanation of how the base could have been funded and kept secret.  The volume is bad on this clip, so you’ll have to turn your speaker all the way up.

Second, how the invading aliens, who first crashed in the 1950s and are now threatening the entire world, are brought down.  This piece has some "spicy" language.

I like the “fly-by” celebrations as the mother ship crashes, and it reminded me of another, similar, celebration from film, so I did a mash-up of Independence Day and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.  Enjoy “The Jedi Returns to Independence Day.”

👉  How about a trio of Smilies before we close:

🛐 Today’s close is by Sharon Hinch.

“In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling” (Exodus 15:13)

After settling our daughter at college, my husband and I headed to Door County for a little “New Empty-Nester” vacation.

While my husband drove, I navigated using the GPS on his smart phone. Or tried to. “Wait, wait. The red dot is moving left. We re supposed to go that way,” I said helpfully.

“What’s the street name?”

“I don’t know. It doesn’t say.”

“Well were on Highway 10 right now.”

I tried shaking the phone. “Nope, according to this, that doesn’t exist. Wait. Now our dot is off the map.”

“Cue the Twilight Zone music,” my husband said. “I hope they find us one day.”

I scrolled and rebooted and argued with the small contraption. Then we lost signal completely. We eventually found our way to our motel, but I learned not to put too much faith in my smart phone as a reliable navigator.

I’m so glad that Jesus’ guidance is faithful. Life is full of confusing turns and unexpected detours, but He never loses His connection with us. His love is constant, His direction is true, and He is guiding us to an even better place than Michigan’s upper peninsula: our eternal home with Him.

Faith step: Next time you see a map or a road sign, take a moment to thank Jesus for guiding your route through this life and to the next.

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QUARANTINE BLOG # 692

March 28, 2022

We return to sites you might want to visit on an upcoming vacation, but for one reason or another, you are forbidden to visit.  And we start with one you can visit.  No, you can’t.  Yes, you can.  Keep reading – that confusion will be disconfused, or something like that.

On September 12, 1940, the entrance to the Lascaux Cave, France was discovered by 18-year-old Marcel Ravidat when his dog, Robot, fell in a hole.  Ravidat returned to the scene with three friends, and they entered the cave through a 50 foot-deep shaft.  The teenagers discovered a cave walls whose were covered with depictions of animals.

Over 600 wall paintings cover the interior walls and ceilings of the cave.  The paintings represent primarily large animals, and typical local contemporary fauna.  They are the combined effort of many generations.  The age of the paintings is now estimated at around 17,000 years.

The cave complex was opened to the public on July 14, 1948, and initial archaeological investigations began a year later.  By 1955, carbon dioxide, heat, humidity, and other contaminants produced by 1,200 visitors per day had visibly damaged the paintings.  

Consequently, the cave was closed to the public in 1963, the paintings were restored to their original state.

A recreation on one section which began in 1970 was opened to the public in 1983.  Another opened in 2012, and beginning in 2007, 500 people – including artists and engineers, architects and special-effects designers – collaborated on a unique project, using 3-D computer mapping, high-resolution scans and photographs to recreate the most exacting textures and colors of the cave.  In 2015, a $62.5 million facsimile opened to the public.

Click on this link to view the incredible beauty of Lascaux Cave.  Yes, you can.

Next.  Apparently, there are quite a few abandoned islands around the world.  But none are like Poveglia, which has been dubbed the world’s most haunted island.  Poveglia is a small island located between Venice and Lido in the Venetian Lagoon, of northern Italy.  

For more than 100 years beginning in 1776, the island was used as a quarantine station for those suffering the plague and other diseases, and later as a mental hospital.  The mental hospital closed in 1968, and the island has been vacant ever since.  In 2014 the Italian state auctioned a 99-year lease of Poveglia to raise revenue,  (the island would remain state property) hoping that the buyer would redevelop the hospital into a luxury hotel.  The winning bid was rejected as too low.  In 2015, a private group, “Poveglia per Tutti,” (Poveglia for Everyone) was hoping to raise $25-30 million for a plan to include “a public park, a marina, a restaurant, a hostel and a study center,” but the island is still vacant.

More on Wednesday.

👉  Some statements of wisdom for your consideration:

● The ability to speak several languages is an asset, but the ability to keep your mouth shut in any language is priceless.

● Be decisive.  Right or wrong, make a decision.  The road is paved with flat squirrels who couldn’t make a decision.

● Trust science.  Studies show that if your parents didn’t have children there’s a high probability you won’t either.

● Only in math problems can you buy 60 cantaloupe melons and no one asks, “What is wrong with you?”

👉  Several weeks ago Bonnie and I drove to Akron, Ohio, to check an item off of my bucket list – to attend the PBA Tournament of Champions (professional bowling’s Super Bowl).  For those who may have doubted that we were in attendance, take a look at this picture:

Just to the left of Shawn Maldonado’s elbow you can see half a head of someone clapping – that’s me.  The right shoulder and the right side of the hair-do behind the man in the yellow shirt – that’s Bonnie.  If you want to look for a clearer view of both of us (and some folks watching live says there was) click on this link and watch the rest of the tournament.

👉  We haven’t been to Indian Hills Community Center for a while.  They are still at it.  And they supply our Monday puns today.

🛐  Today’s close, “A Prayer for When Things Don’t Go as Planned,” is by Kristine Brown.

I had big plans. With our youngest child out of the nest, I began sorting through the many ideas I had for the next phase of life. What would all this newfound free time bring? The possibilities seemed endless. Only, I never considered the word cancer to be on that list of possibilities.

Suddenly my anticipation for the weeks and months ahead took a drastic turn. Hopes for the next season didn’t hold the same promise as all the things written in my planner. The adventures waiting for me to check them off one-by-one, now erased and replaced with treatments, doctor’s appointments, and rest.

When the plans we’ve made in life change course, our feelings can also change. We trade our excitement and anticipation for dread or discouragement. But even in the hardest situations, God will offer blessings in the most unexpected ways.

Proverbs 16:9 tells us, “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.”

Planning is important. The ability to chart a course for our future is a gift from God. Yet so many times God will guide us in a new direction. One we never expected. The steps he establishes for us may take us somewhere we never intended for ourselves. They may even take us somewhere we don’t want to go. But we can be sure of this. God’s blessings don’t stop just because our circumstances change.

Let’s thank God today for those times when things don’t go as we planned. We can trust Him as we anticipate the steps he establishes for us.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for your guidance and direction. Because you are designing the path ahead of me, I have nothing to fear. I enjoy setting goals and having dreams for the future, but you know what’s best for me. You are the author of my story.

Your Word says that you “establish my steps,” even when I make my own plans. I may write things on my calendar, but I will also remain open to change when things don’t go the way I expected. Help me to accept your path, even when it looks nothing like what I thought or takes me places I didn’t want to go. Your ways are not my ways, and I trust you in all things.

Lord, today open my eyes to the blessing on this journey you’ve chosen for me. Help me see the truth of your promises. You will never leave me, and you have great plans for my future. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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QUARANTINE BLOG # 691

March 27, 2022

Lessons in Life Taught in the News

I first published this piece in The Augusta Chronicle August 26, 2000.

In the news this week were three stories about life and death which are all too familiar commentaries about, well, life and death.

In 1996 major league baseball players hit a record 141 grand slam homers – load ‘em up, knock ‘em in. On Tuesday, August 22, a new major league record for grand slams was set when Cincinnati Reds outfielder Alex Ochoa hit his first career slam in a losing effort against the Philadelphia Phillies. With homers dominating the game and pitching duels either fan-yawners, or simply non-existent, you may understand the plight of Detroit Tiger slugger, soon-to-be free agent, Juan Gonzalez.

Before the start of the current campaign, Gonzalez rejected a $123 million offer that would have been the largest in the history of baseball. I remember when Barry Bonds left the Pittsburgh Pirates to sign with the San Francisco Giants. Someone calculated that Barry would earn about $15,000 for each plate appearance. Just think of it – go zero for four days and make more money than the President of the United States. Bonds’ multi-year, $8 million deal seems today like minor league pay compared to what Gonzalez turned down.

Gonzalez nixed the deal, not because it wasn’t enough money, but because the outfield fences at Detroit’s Comerica Park are too deep. The 398 feet distance to the power alley puts right-handed hitters at a disadvantage, he whined. So to keep his slugger (?) in Detroit, owner Mike Ilitch may just move the fences in.

Life lesson number one: don’t try to improve or better yourself at your job, or in school; blame others for your poor performance. I don’t need to practice my swing or strengthen my arms, just move the fences in so I can reach them. And if I threaten to take my toys and play for someone else, the folks who sign my paycheck will cave in. Lower the standards! It’s the American way!

Speaking of Barry Bonds, the California Supreme Court ruled Monday that prenuptial agreements are valid even if only one party had a lawyer. That decision may save Barry millions of dollars. On the way to the altar, Bonds and his then soon-to-be wife, now used-to-be wife, Sun, stopped at Barry’s attorney’s office. There they signed a prenuptial agreement which eclipsed Sun when their marriage ended in divorce court. Now just to be sure you understand, Barry and Sun signed an agreement – before they were married – which said, if they divorced she could not get any of his “future earnings.”

Life-lesson number two: plan to fail. You gotta love pre-nups. They publically declare, “This marriage is guaranteed, warrantied, and certified to fail.” We will plan in advance for failure. We will not plan in advance for success. And if we do say, “Until death do us part,” it will be like the title of the autobiography of the North Carolina State basketball coach Jimmy Valvano: They Gave Me a Life-time Contract, and Then They Declared Me Dead. With prenuptial agreements and no-fault divorce, is it any wonder that half of all couples who say, “I do,” don’t?

And finally, the world watched this week as 118 Russian submariners died on the ocean floor, while their nation’s rescuers failed for days to open their submarine’s emergency escape hatch, and a Norwegian crew did it in hours.

Old style-Soviet lies were the order of day after horrifying day. The Kursk sank on Saturday, but officials said it sank on Sunday when they announced it on Monday. The vessel did not sink, they said, but “descended to the ocean floor.” “Contact with the crew has been established,” they said, but solid contact was never confirmed. “Air is being pumped from the surface into the ship,” they said, but it never was. “Everyone on board is alive,” they said, but we now know that the second explosion, which sank the Kursk, killed most of the crew.

Russians properly criticized President Vladimir Putin for staying at his Black Sea resort instead of flying to the sight of the disaster, but what they may ultimately remember when next they vote for president is that offer after offer of help was refused until death was guaranteed for the men of the Kursk.

Life-lesson number three: I can do it all by myself, and the possibility of waiting too long to ask for help does not exist. That deadly lesson was learned 150 meters beneath the surface of the Barents Sea. Spiritually, you cannot save yourself. You need Jesus of Nazareth. You can wait too long to ask for help – dead men cannot receive salvation.

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QUARANTINE BLOG # 690

March 25, 2022

Picasso was one of art’s most famous womanizers, once telling one of his mistresses: “There are only two kinds of women, goddesses and doormats.”

While ordinary people might treasure photographs of former girlfriends and wives for the memories, Picasso kept his own drawings of the six women known to have been his greatest muses.

“Picasso in Private” was a collection of 200 of those pictures offered for sale in 2016 by his  granddaughter Marina Picasso.

The works reveal how each woman, from young lovers to wives, influenced his art, tracking his developing style through his entire career. The collection takes in every decade of his career. Experts at Sotheby’s said the full works are as effective as “looking over the shoulder” of Picasso as he painted, getting glimpses into his personal life and emotion.

Picasso’s muses: Fernande Olivier (clockwise from top left), Olga Khoklova, Marie-Thérèse Walter, Dora Maar, Françoise Gilot and Jacqueline Roque.

Fernanda Olivier 

They begin with Fernanda Olivier, who became Picasso’s lover and muse from 1904 to 1911 after fleeing a violent teenage marriage. Working as a model, she met Picasso in Paris, going on to pose for more than 60 portraits and inspiring some of his Cubist period.

Olga Khokhlova

Drawn in 1918, the next keepsake is of Olga Khokhlova, Picasso’s first wife and mother of his eldest child Paulo. A ballet dancer, she stayed with him from 1917 to 1935 and is said to have bombarded him with hate mail after they parted, never divorcing him after Picasso refused to divide his assets with her.

The portrait has a “tenderness” that characterized his feelings for her in the early years. After their breakup, he did a painting of her called “Bust of a Woman” that was not nearly so complimentary.

Marie-Thérèse Walter

The third of his women is Marie-Thérèse Walter, who stayed with Picasso from 1927 to 1936. Meeting when she was just 17, and the artist was still with Olga, she was eventually abandoned when Picasso moved on to his next mistress, hanging herself decades later four years after his death. 

Dora Maar

Dora Maar, the surrealist photographer who literally fought Marie-Therese for the artist’s affection and stayed with him from 1936 to 1944, appeared in the collection in the 1939 pencil sketch Etudes “Pour Femme Au Chapeau.”

Dora Maar was a rising star in Surrealist circles when she took up with Pablo Picasso. Her photograph Père Ubu (1936 – of a baby armadillo) had become an emblem for the movement after it was exhibited in London at the International Surrealist Exhibition.

Maar served as Picasso’s official photographer during the 36-day period in which he painted “Guernica.” She was able to make the first photographic record of the creation of a modern artwork from start to finish.

But, under Picasso’s influence, she eventually gave up photography for painting. Picasso had always considered the medium inferior, insisting that “inside every photographer is a painter trying to get out.” Inevitably, paired with such a giant, Maar was overshadowed. But she was one of his most influential models, sitting for a number of now-famous portraits that most frequently show her in distress.

A 1990 show at Paris’s “Galerie” reintroduced her photography to a world that had largely forgotten about Picasso’s most private mistress.

Picasso once remarked “I could never see her, never imagine her, except crying.” But in recent years, it's become clear that Maar was always more than her tears.

Françoise Gilot

Françoise Gilot, was a 21-year-old law student who left her studies for an affair with Picasso, who was 40 years her senior. 

Jacqueline Roque

Finally, his second wife Jacqueline Roque – in his life for 11 years, and inspiration behind more than 400 works.

His wives and lovers were integral to his career; they were very much the subjects that inspired him. 

The collection was sold at Sotheby’s on February 5, 2016, in an event entitled “Picasso In Private.” The final total for the collection was over $16 million.

In his final years, Picasso would still turn out three, four, or even five paintings a day. Even at 91 he was experimenting. On April 8, 1973, Pablo Picasso died. He left behind a huge body of work, as many as 50,000 pieces.

One last Picasso story:

Bill and Sue Gross had been married 31 years when she sued for divorce on the grounds of irreconcilable differences. Bill founded Pacific Investment Management Company  (commonly called PIMCO), in 1971. Today it has over 2,000 employees working in 12 offices across 11 countries, and $1.77 trillion in assets under management.

Sue didn’t wait until she and Bill had finalized their split, swapping out a 1932 Pablo Picasso painting entitled “Le Repos” hanging in their bedroom with her own copy of the painting.

Several years before the divorce Gross had praised his ex-wife’s painting ability. “Sue likes to paint replicas of some of the famous pieces, using an overhead projector to copy the outlines and then just sort of fill in the spaces,” he said.

“‘Why spend $20 million?’ she’d say – ‘I can paint that one for $75,’ and I must admit that one fabulous Picasso with signature ‘Sue,’ heads the fireplace mantle in our bedroom,” Bill continued.

The original “Le Repos” – which Mrs. Gross took with her – sold for $36.9 million at Sotheby’s May 14, 2018.

A coin flip in August 2017 – amid the couple’s divorce proceedings – awarded Sue full custody of Picasso’s depiction of his sleeping mistress.

In testimony, the ex-wife readily admitted to taking the Picasso, citing an e-mail Bill sent to her where he instructed her to “take all the furniture and art that you’d like.”

“And so I did,” she said.

A clip from Toy Story to conclude our look at Pablo Picasso. 

🛐   Our close today is from Praying with the Psalms, by Eugene H. Peterson.

“I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.  Look to him, and be radiant; so your faces shall never be ashamed” (Psalm 34:4-5).

We hide our faces from God when we suppose that he will disapprove of us.  The psalmist has a different experience – he knows that God is on our side, that our needs are his concern and that he hears our cry.  Therefore, he says, “Look to him and be radiant!”

Prayer: Blessed be your name, O God.  You never disappoint me; you hear every cry; you satisfy every need; you banish my fears.  In Jesus Christ you are in all and have become all to me.  Hallelujah!  Amen.

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QUARANTINE BLOG # 689

March 23, 2022

It is warming up for spring and vacation time is not so far away.  While you are thinking of places to visit and selfies to make, QB presents a few places you don’t want to visit, and, in fact, where you will not be allowed to venture inside – maybe only a snapshot of the “Do Not Enter” or “No Trespassing” sign will feature in your holiday memories.

First up is Morgan Island, South Carolina, or, as some would say, Monkey Island.  If this sounds like something out of a dream for animal lovers, then think again.  The piece of land is part of South Carolina – and forbidden to visitors.  Morgan Island is home to around 4,000 wild rhesus monkeys.  1,300 of the animals initially arrived from Puerto Rico for biomedical research, and their population has grown ever since.  Only boat rides around the island are allowed in order to avoid the monkeys catching human diseases or curious tourists getting hurt by the wild animals.

Next is Svalbard Global Seed Vault, Norway.  The Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway is prohibited to visitors and is located far away from civilization.  “It is away from the places on earth where you have war and terror,” explained property manager Bente Naeverdal.  “It is situated in a safe place.”  And that’s no coincidence.  Nicknamed the Doomsday Vault, this closed-off site holds more than 930,000 varieties of food crops in the form of seeds and is crucial for the future of humankind.  The seeds are stored there to be used to bring back critical crops in case of disaster – natural or human induced.

On a remote island, 700 miles from the North Pole, a concrete wedge protrudes from the snow on the side of a mountain. Behind stainless steel doors, a reinforced-concrete tunnel extends 400 feet into the bedrock. And behind another set of doors and two airlocks are three vaults, each 90 feet long, 20 feet tall, and 30 feet wide. These vaults store mankind’s greatest treasure – two billion seeds.

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen, is the world’s largest and safest seed-storage facility, an insurance policy against possible climate change, or a longer-term threat.

If formerly rich agricultural land becomes too arid for farming and previously cold, damp areas become more suitable for agriculture, seeds with new characteristics will be needed.

A global calamity might make it necessary to rebuild human civilization, starting with its deepest foundation: agriculture.  Some of the seeds being stored at Svalbard are capable of surviving for millennia, even if its refrigeration systems fail.  Wheat seeds – a crop that started it all – can last 1,700 years. 

Details of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault can be seen in this video I made for one of my cruise talks, “History: It’s What’s For Dinner.”

👉  A bit of philosophy from Pearls Before Swine and the “Wise Ass on the Hill.”

👉  QB 685 reported on Brooklyn-based creamery Van Leeuwen created Kraft Mac & Cheese Ice Cream.  The initial 6,000 pints sold out in an hour, and the ice cream was lauded with praise as a genuinely enjoyable dessert.  QB also reported that shipments M&C and seven other flavors were being delivered exclusively to Walmart.  

Our favorite Walmart manager (front row, first from the left) sent pictures Monday of two of the flavors at the Grovetown Neighborhood Market and brought them to 233 Woodland Drive for sampling at Monday’s Family Night gathering.  

The results are in (and it was really hard to get this snoopy crowd to taste the samples):

👍 Generally speaking we liked the Mac and Cheese.  It was creamy and smooth, but none of us thought it really tasted like M&C.

👎 “Nothing extra,” as my Dad would have said.  This tasted nothing like pizza, and if I’m going to eat pizza, consume extra points and blow up my Weight Watchers day, I’m going to eat real pizza.

Bottom line.  I would not again pay $5 for a pint of strange flavor ice cream from Van Leeuwen creamery.  If you want me to try it, it’s your turn to buy.

👉  No comment:

🛐  Today’s close is from New Morning Mercies, by Paul David Tripp.

Admit it, we’re all still a bit of a mess; that’s why we need God’s grace today as much as we needed it the first day we believed. You and I need to say it to ourselves again and again. We need to look in the mirror and make the confession as part of our morning routine. Here’s what we all need to say: “I am not a grace graduate.”

It is so tempting to mount arguments for your own righteousness:

• “That really wasn’t lust. I’m just a man who enjoys beauty.”

• “That really wasn’t gossip. It was just a very detailed, very personal prayer request.”

• “I wasn’t angry at my kids. I was just acting as one of God’s prophets. ‘Thus says the Lord ...’”

• “I’m not on an ugly quest for personal power. I’m just exercising God-given leadership gifts.”

• “I’m not cold-hearted and stingy. I’m just trying to be a good steward of what God has given me.”

• “I wasn’t being proud. I just thought someone needed to take control of the conversation.”

• “It wasn’t really a lie. It was just a different way of recounting the facts.”

We all tend to want to think we are more righteous than we actually are. We don’t like to think of ourselves as still desperately in need of God’s rescuing grace. And we surely don’t want to face the fact that what we need to be rescued from is us! When you argue for your own righteousness, working hard to deny the empirical evidence of your sin, then you fail to seek the amazing grace that is your only hope. Grace is only ever attractive to sinners. 

The riches of God’s goodness are only ever sought by the poor. The spiritual healing of the Great Physician is only ever esteemed by those who acknowledge that they still suffer from the spiritual disease of sin. It’s a tragedy when we praise God for his grace on Sunday and deny our need for that grace the rest of the week. 

Face the fact today that you’ll never outgrow your need for grace, no matter how much you learn and how much you mature, until you are on the other side and your struggle is over because sin is no more. The way to begin to celebrate the grace that God so freely gives you every day is by admitting how much you need it.

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QUARANTINE BLOG # 688

March 21, 2022

The sermon today from the Crawfordville pulpit is “When You Are Certain God Has Abandoned You.”  The text is Exodus 12:20-32; 13:17-22; 14:10-15.

👉  Last summer QB reported on “Doug” what was thought to be the world’s largest potato, big as a Thanksgiving turkey, and weighing 17.4 pounds.  Colin and Donna Craig-Brown who found Doug in their New Zealand garden took a slice and sent it to the Guinness Book of World Records for “the world’s heaviest potato.”  Well, word has come back that Doug may look like a potato, he may taste like a potato, but he is not a potato.  He is a cross between a cucumber and a gourd.

Just so you’ll know, Peter Glazebrook of Nottinghamshire, England, grew the official GBR potato in September 2010.  It weighed in at 8 pounds 4 ounces.

And for those interested in large vegetables and such, especially those who grow strawberries, last year Ariel Chahi, in Israel, grew a supersized strawberry weighed 10.19 ounces (the writing on Mr. Chahi’s shirt says “Strawberries in the Field” – the family business).

👉  While we are catching up, here is the conclusion to the Peanuts baseball series:

👉  Here is Monday’s pun:

👉  And Garfield’s comment on Monday:

👉  This one is, as Paul Harvey used to say “closed-circuit” to a member of the family:

👉  Today we conclude our story of churches, palaces, and homes carved into cliff faces, and carved out of solid rock.  Cliff Palace is the largest cliff dwelling in North America.  The structure was built by the ancient Pueblos in what is now Mesa Verde National Park.  Research suggests that there were 150 rooms for 100 people.  

Made of sandstone, mortar and wooden beams, the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde sprawled across the beautiful landscape, some built on the mesa tops.  Construction is estimated to have started around AD 650, but by 1285 during a period of severe droughts, the inhabitants left the area and moved south to Arizona and New Mexico.

The abandoned site was rediscovered in 1888 by two ranchers who were out looking for lost cattle.  By the end of the 19th century it was clear that Mesa Verde needed protection from visitors and private collectors who took artifacts as they pleased.  In 1906, Theodore Roosevelt approved the Federal Antiquities Act that allowed the president to create national parks for places with environmental or cultural significance.  Mesa Verde became the first of such parks.

Out last stop is Kropfenstein Castle in Switzerland.  There are no surviving records indicating when or how this castle was built.  From the style of construction it appears to have been built in the 13th century and was in operation until the 15th century.

The castle walls follow the edge of the cliff making its shape very irregular.  Due to the overhanging rock wall, the castle remains in generally good condition with limited weathering.

The exact floor plan of the castle is unknown but it was probably divided into several rooms.  The first room is only about 7 feet wide and was probably used as a store room.  The western part of the castle is up to 20 feet wide and contained the castle living quarters and kitchen.  Nothing is known about the castle roof, but it may have been just a canopy to keep rain out.

👉  Some things to contemplate today:

● My tolerance for idiots is extremely low today.  I used to have some immunity built up but obviously there is a new strain out there.

● As I watch this generation try to rewrite our history, one thing I’m sure of ... it will be misspelled and have no punctuation.

● Sorry I haven’t gotten anything done today.  I’ve been in the Produce Department trying to open this stupid plastic bag.

● Do you ever get up in the morning, look in the mirror and think “That can’t be accurate.”

🛐  Today’s close is by Joyce Meyer.

Dread is a relative of fear.  When we lived with dread, fear blocks faith.  But 1 John 4:18 (Amplified) says, “There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror!  For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love’s complete perfection].”

Enjoy your day, knowing that God loves you perfectly.  Don’t dread the hard things that you must do today, because God is on your side and is ready to help you.

Prayer Starter: God, as hard as it may be, as much as it hurts, help me tackle the things I’m dreading and putting off, Amen.

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